La Kooki is the "side project" of power couple Glenn Goodall (chief winemaker at Xanadu) and his wife, Ely (chief winemaker at Cape Mentelle Vineyards), and has shown to be an exciting source of wines made from fruit in both Margaret River and Geographe. The highlight is undoubtedly the Boya Chardonnay. The barrel is rolled, which moves the stones and agitates the lees, giving the wine texture and density. The two extraordinarily capable and experienced winemakers converge in this La Kooki label. ERIN LARKIN, Wine Advocate

It’s strikingly complex with a lemon curd, floral cut lime and cracked seashell character. The palate is textured with a tight core of fine acid and lively minerality. Love it. RAY JORDAN

The inimitable style of Margaret River and its number one white grape variety is right here. And, boy, does it sing. With two of the region’s top winemakers behind it, it shows real class JENI PORT

This is pure. Saline. Inky. Lightweight, yet with gravitas. Detailed, with finesse. It carries on long after the wine has left the mouth. This wine is totally different from everything on the bench beside it. ERIN LARKIN, James Halliday’s Wine Companion

This is a most elegant and stylish expression of this small powerful vintage. River. Great value wine from two of the best winemakers in the region. RAY JORDAN

La Kooki, some of you will be familiar with these wines as I have offered them out over the last few years. Here is the trick though, the owners are, genuinely, honestly, terrible at marketing. I have a theory. I’ll share it with you now.

The spiel, it’s a little long, probably unnecessarily so. I kind of didn’t plan this one, just wrote it out. If I am burying the lead, just head to the part with the prices and reviews. That should get the message across.

Every time I hear from them it revolves around fishing, surfing, fishing and occasionally they make time to go surfing or fishing. With that busy schedule I don’t think they have time to sell market their wines… it’s a blistering pace their set for themselves.

Let me see if I can shed some light on it. Ok, there are a few “side hustles” from prominent wine industry figures that produce awesome wine that are overlooked, because those people don’t get out and wave the flag enough. Not much time to rub elbows and kiss babies. Think of things along the line of Applecross (old man Dave Bicknell), Nocturne (Also in Margs but I forget the guy’s name. Big shot at Deep Woods), Amen Break (Jai Harrop), Salo (the one and only Flammo and his Kiwi mate Dave “Bro” Mackintosh).

Industry heavy hitters. Serious winemakers who are crafting some of the best booze in the country and have their own passion projects as well.

This very much falls under that Category. La Kooki is the winery of Eloise Jarvis and her 2-IC, the man with the neatest hair in the wine game, Glenn Goodall. They don’t come any better than that. May not be household names here in the east coast but the wines from Glenn are among the most awarded in Australia (Xanadu) where he has cleaned up every single conceivable trophy, gong and plaudit that we, the combined wine industry, can come up with to heap on them.

I have written about his wines many times. He is in that elite, very top tier, super star category of winemakers in Australia today. Or, as his wife El puts it “Glenn’s been the glossy shiny toy upfront”. I assume what she is, politely trying to say, is that she makes the wine and he swans around and goes surfing. That’s a bit unfair, sorry mate, surfing or fishing.

Do NOT take my glib remarks about this project seriously. The only thing serious here is the wines. Two incredibly talented humans behind what is bound to become one of those must have labels for wine drinkers in the know. It has been at my house for a few years. The box I bought from them recently has, sadly, already been consumed.

You know what one of the most enjoyable parts of writing this offer has been? No, of course you don’t, I haven’t explained it yet. Getting Eloise Jarvis to write out her resume for me. I don’t think she found that a very comfortable experience. I get the impression that El is happy to let the wine do the talking. Not so comfy talking herself up.

Lets do a little breakdown, shall we. I have to say there is some very big achievements in there that are framed very modestly. What is most striking is the last parts where El just tells me about her time and effort trying to help young winemakers in the area and her involvement in setting up Margaret River Wine’s sustainability program. Her resume was in large part about how great Marg’s is and the other people in it.

Margs, born and bred… that’s a rare beast.
Weather presenter and host of gardening Australia… kept that one close to your chest mate. “the weather in Margaret River this week, like every week, will be perfect for surfing and doing not much else”.
Post Grad in Oenology at Radelaide Uni. Show off.
Worked vintages all over the world.
Senior winemaker at Cape Mentelle.
Lecturer at Curtin University in their Bachelor Science in Viticulture and Oenology.
Wine Australia “Future Leaders”.
 
One small thing. Apart from being terrible at marketing their wines, they also aren’t exactly set up for interstate logistics. They will need to send the wine from their place in Margs. We will order it asap but it may take a couple of weeks to arrive with us. It’s worth the wait!

The wines. Well, there are two. Firstly, the Chard. This is the big gun chez Kooki. It’s a ripper this year with a deep well of flavour to draw on but and a tensed up, grippy, long and waterfall fresh finish. It’s classic Margaret River Chard, with all the boldness and density that suggests, but with a clearly defined salty, palate quivering twang that sends a little shiver down your spine on the first taste. Good stuff!!! Needs some time but man, great wine. They can make Chard.

The Cabernet, well, I initially wanted to just focus on that this time. It’s so good this year. I wrote an offer for it separately but I think it’s a little crazy to be ordering these wines from Margaret River and then having to do it again for a separate offer. I hope everyone takes advantage of both wines here.

I did note, in my original incarnation of the offer, that it was nice to see the critics getting on board with this kind of style of Cabernet. I think Glenn and El have put their flag in the sand, probs a Prevelly or something, while crushing a few cans and lazing around… and claimed the land on behalf of elegant table Claret.

This is the kind of Claret that you want to sit down with over a period. I noticed my wife consuming her fair share, so I put aside a little taste for Ron. An hour or so later it was coming out of its shell a little more. It’s in the more elegant fashion, not a showy Cab that’s going to win trophies all over town (if it has and I missed it, sorry gang). This is one to engage the senses in a more gently seductive fashion. Swirls of fruit, sweet tannins are easily enveloped but the sumptuousness of the thing. Its alluring rather, as opposed to some of the more staunch wines of Margs. I really love it. I mean, my kind of wine!

Remember, this fella has won every possible trophy and award in Oz for his Cabernets. Including the Jimmy… and I mean EVERYTHING. So this is a combination of site specificity and, I would hazard a guess, a stylistic bent from the two of them. Something that people can get their chops around sooner rather than later, but that will age on its balance, rather than its muscularity.

I’ll be buying both. I imagine most people will go long on the Chard, and so you should, but I would buy a case of this for the house as well, if it was me.

Ok, I think that covers it.

As I mentioned, we are ordering this direct from the winery. To make it affordable for shipping etc we are probably only going to be able to offer these for a week, then compile the orders. So, don’t hesitate. I will get a little extra, for the store and for a few late comers, but if you are getting this offer then you are on a list of people who have purchased similar things before and these are genuinely top notch. So, go hard.

One more small thing, the general sense of these wines, the overall feeling I get and the people behind it, I don’t think scores are the way to go. Read the reviews, people have done a great job explaining why these wines are unique and special. The points seem to, maybe, diminish their nature and character in some way? Too sentimental? Maybe, but I love these wines and the peeps behind the label.

As always, feel free to email orders to me, or follow the links below to order online.

Cheers
Roscoe